Faster outcomes
Benefit from faster processing times and decisions in as little as 15 days.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
ACS Christmas Holiday Shutdown period
The ACS office will be closed during the Holiday period from the 20th December 2024 12pm and re-open on the 6th January 2025.
Decision ready applications submitted up until the 7th November 2024 will be guaranteed an outcome issued prior to the 20th December.
If you have a visa that is due to expire within the closure period, please ensure you submit your decision ready application prior to the 16th December for a guaranteed outcome to be issued.
Please note decision ready applications are defined as “all the required documentations have been provided in the application” if a request for further information is made by the Migration Skills Assessment team, the application will be delayed, and an outcome will not be issued prior to the closure period.
In addition to the closure period, upon re-opening from the holiday period (6th January 2025) please expect delays and allow additional time of up to 4 weeks added to the current timeframe.
**The MSA team wish you all a happy holiday season**
New applicants
Benefit from our new operating systems and streamlined processes for a smoother migration journey.
Migration agents
Discover a better applicant experience that enhances your migration services.
Existing applicants
Important: If you started your skills assessment application BEFORE 5pm AEDT 15 April 2024, please review your options here.
Options for existing applicants
Option 1:
If you have started an application but have not yet paid, you will need to submit a new application in the new portal – Access it here
Option 2:
If you have paid and submitted a complete assessment, you don’t need to do anything. ACS will assess and provide an outcome within the current timeframe.
Option 3:
If you have a recently finalised application, and wish to lodge a review or appeal (you are within the 60-day timeframe to submit) – Access it here
Option 4:
If you are outside of the review period and wish to re-apply, please use the current portal - Access it here
Planning to reapply?
Start a new application using your previous email and password.
Download the ACS Guide to Skilled Migration
Are you an international tech professional considering a move to Australia? The ACS Guide to Skilled Migration will answer many of your questions.
The new ACS Migration Skills Assessment portal will deliver:
More options
Apply for up to three ANZSCO codes at once for one fixed price.
Greater clarity
Experience greater guidance to increase the odds of a ‘right first time’ application.
Instant updates
Track application status on a new easy-to-use applicant dashboard.
Help and support if you need it
Applicant briefing sessions
To register, please visit the events page and select the category ‘Migration Skills Assessment’.
For ongoing support and queries, please contact our Member Services team on +61 2 9299 3666 or at member.services@acs.org.au
To review a recent briefing session for migration professionals (agents and lawyers) on the new ACS MSA platform, please click on this link.
FAQs – frequently asked questions
Due to the extensive and complex nature of an ICT skills assessment, it is not possible to offer pre-assessment advice. A formal assessment needs to be completed before any advice is provided.
If your occupation is on one of the following lists, ACS is your correct assessing authority:
IT Occupations and ANZSCO assessed by ACS
Data Science Occupations and ANZSCO assessed by ACS
If your occupation is not on one of the above lists, visit the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) List of Eligible Skilled Occupations to find your correct assessing authority.
For information regarding skilled occupations, visit Australian Bureau of Statistics.
ACS conduct skills assessment on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs as part of the overall visa application process. ACS determines if an applicant has the required ICT qualifications and experience needed for employment in Australia.
Check with the Department of Home Affairs if you need a skills assessment before you apply for your visa.
Once you understand your requirements and have read and understood the Skills Assessment Guidelines for Applicants, you can start your ACS Migration Skills Assessment application.
If you decide to reapply and you have a previous completed assessment and/or have an existing account with the ACS, you will need to access the applicant portal, and start a new application.
If you haven't already, you will need to log into the website (using your email address and password) in order to access the applicant portal.
No. ACS does not require any English language tests for skills assessments.
Each applicant is assessed on an individual basis and must meet the ACS assessment criteria.
Only professional ICT work experience undertaken from 18 years and over is applicable.
A priority request is ONLY available for Australian visa deadlines less than 12 weeks from the date of application. Applicants must allow at least 2 weeks’ notice of the deadline. If your visa is due to expire, this will be automatically checked when you submit your application, and your application will be accepted for priority processing.
No. This is a courtesy service to help applicants with visa deadlines for priority processing.
For information on the different kinds of visas available and requirements for migration to Australia, visit the website of the Department of Home Affairs.
Please note that ACS provides details on the eligibility requirements in applying for a skills assessment under the Migration Skills Assessment program but does provide specific information on migration or visa requirements.
If you are a skilled IT or Data Science professional or international student who wishes to migrate to Australia, you will need to have your skills and knowledge assessed through the ACS Migration Skills Assessment BEFORE you can apply for a visa.
For applications that do not require any requests for additional documentation or information, please allow between 4 - 6 weeks for the skills assessment to be completed.
Application for ACS Migration Skills Assessment can be made through the
ACS Application Migration Skills Assessment portal.
That depend on the Application Pathway you choose to follow. Explore the different Application Pathways.
The ACS Migration Skills Assessment will review your personal identification documents and then assess if your educational qualifications and/or work experience are at a professional ICT level and closely related to the nominated occupation (ANZSCO) for migration purposes.
ACS will review your qualification(s) to determine the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) comparability. The course units of your qualification are assessed to determine whether the professional ICT content is considered an ICT professional unit or not. The outcome of the Assessment will note if your qualification is a Major, Minor or if the ICT content is Insufficient.
An ACS Assessor will review which ICT units are considered closely related to your nominated occupation. Once your qualification(s) have been assessed as outlined above, the assessor will then determine the amount of relevant work experience required to meet the suitability criteria.
Your employment episode(s) are then assessed to determine if they are considered closely related and at the appropriate skill level, to your nominated occupation.
Please Note: Due to the complex nature of the assessment process, ACS cannot advise if your qualification or work experience is suitable UNTIL AFTER a full assessment has been completed.
ACS Migration Skills Assessment Info Hub
Your source or all detailed information and pollicies related to the ACS Migration Skills Assessment.